Meredith Burgener

Meredith Burgener plays a pivotal role within the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), supporting the acquisition of advanced missile defense systems and enabling the agency’s mission to develop, test, and field layered intercept capabilities against evolving ballistic missile threats. Though her official title is not listed, her procurement activities center on high-priority R&D and systems integration contracts, ensuring timely delivery of next-generation sensor architectures, command and control platforms, and guided weapon technologies. She manages complex, technically demanding acquisitions aligned with MDA’s strategic priorities in midcourse and terminal-phase interception, often coordinating across engineering, test, and operational stakeholders to align contracting outcomes with national security objectives. Her contracting portfolio is heavily influenced by long-standing partnerships with prime defense integrators, including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, which serve as primary contractors for missile defense system development and system-of-systems integration. She also engages Jacobs Technology Inc. for specialized technical services, reflecting a pattern of collaboration with industry leaders capable of delivering mission-critical engineering solutions under stringent performance and security requirements. These relationships are characterized by sustained, multi-year contract cycles grounded in technical excellence and programmatic continuity. Burgener demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with approximately two-thirds of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5. This consistent emphasis on small business set-asides underscores a deliberate strategy to cultivate innovation from emerging defense technology firms and ensure broad industry participation in critical missile defense programs. Her contracting patterns reflect a balanced approach—leveraging large primes for system integration while actively fostering small business capabilities through targeted set-asides. Her primary technical focus lies in NAICS 541715, encompassing research and development in physical and engineering sciences, particularly in radar systems, discrimination algorithms, and hypersonic defense technologies. She also procures computer facilities management services under NAICS 541513 to support secure test and simulation environments. Her expertise centers on high-assurance, systems-engineered solutions that bridge advanced R&D with operational fielding in the missile defense domain.